Murder Over New York (1940)

Fair entry in the series with Charlie getting mixed up in a case of murder and sabotage. Look for a cameo by Shemp Howard.

Charlie (Sidney Toler) is flying to a police convention in New York. On the plane is his old pal from Scotland Yard Inspector Drake. He’s now with military intelligence. He’s on the trail of two saboteurs, Paul Narvo and his Hindu servant Ramullah. He thinks they were behind the crash of a bomber over New York.

At the airport they’re met by Inspector Vance. To Charlie’s surprise he’s also met by number two son Jimmy (Victor Sen Yung). He’s in town with a roommate to see the World’s Fair. Also on hand is aircraft executive George Kirby (Richard Cortez). He asks Charlie to a party at his place after the police banquet.

Drake is waiting in Kirby’s office for them. He’ll be there a long time. He’s dead. Jimmy is a chemistry student and identifies the new poison gas used to kill him. Jimmy spots Kirby’s butler Boggs steaming open a letter. Vance has him taken downtown.  Charlie talks to all the guests including actress June Preston whose necklace is missing a pearl and aircraft designer Ralph Percy (Kane Richmond). Drake’s old school friend Herb Fenton is also there.

Later that night Charlie visits June and returns the pearl. He finds out that a woman Drake has been looking for, Patricia West, is June’s friend and she gives Charlie her address. She’s married to Narvo who has disappeared. She’s been on the run from him ever since she found out he was a spy. Out the window Charlie hears a struggle. It’s Jimmy with a man who had been following Charlie. He says it was a Hindu.

Vance wants every Hindu in New York brought in for a lineup. He spots one as a con man (Shemp Howard) who has a religious racket. Jimmy ID’s Ramullah. He tries to escape but is shot dead. It wasn’t by one of the cops. The shots came from outside. Charlie and Jimmy go to the curio shop Ramullah used as his alibi. They find a lab that manufactured the poison gas.

Later Charlie finds Kirby poisoned. He wants everyone at the airport the next day where a new bomber is being tested. The solution stretches credibility a mile…maybe five miles.